CODER Picks of the Week: A-Trak, Machinedrum, Krewella, and More

Each Friday the CODE crew reviews their favorite dance tracks of the week. Listen to the cuts below, and see what Kerri, Zel, Jacob, Tshepo and Eric have to say.

Phoenix: “Trying To Be Cool” (A-Trak Remix) [Glassnote]

“Trying To Be Cool” is the closest Phoenix has come to their “United” and “Alphabetical” origins in a while. The chord changes and chorus stay on the shy side of pop while the countermelody is a tune unto itself. Respectfully, A-Track puts on his soft shoes for this rework (for the most part). This not the fist-pumping aggro from his remix of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Heads Will Roll.” In fact, A-Trak’s friendly synth and dirty electro breakdowns are as a refreshing as a picnic at Versailles. It’s nice when a headlining rock band can find us on the dancefloor and with this remix that should happen more than a few times this summer. -Zel

Machinedrum: "Eyesdontlie" (DJ Shadow Remix) [Ninja Tune]

With over 20 years of beat-making experience under his belt, DJ Shadow has taken on everything from hip-hop to heavy-handed, Guinness Book of Records-level cut and paste sampling. Here, he tackles recent Ninja Tune signing Machinedrum, on a five-minute scorcher of a remix. Shadow propels single “Eyesdontlie” from its spaced-out and dubby origins to a high-octane beast of a track, incorporating some of Machinedrum’s vocal refrain with nods to garage and heart-racing two-step. The result accounts for a whole lot of hyphenated description and the sort of BPM that inspires SoundCloud comments like “Man, crazy energy here–Turnt!” and “WOOOOAH.” The fans have spoken. - Tshepo

Sander Van Doorn - Joyenergizer (Lazy Rich Remix) [SPINNIN]

Sander Van Doorn's "Joyenergizer" was one of the biggest anthems of Ultra Music Festival this year, and it's getting a new lease on life thanks to Lazy Rich. The Canadian producer released his remix earlier this week, amplifying the electro elements to turn the hard-hitting original into even more of a fist-pumping banger. It retains the signature dizzying bleep progressions of Van Doorn's original cut, but adds in a grittier, faster-paced drop. Expect to hear it a lot this summer — it's not quite hardstyle, but it's also certainly not cookie-cutter EDM. -Jacob

Mar-T: "You" [Shinichi]

Mar-T, or Martin Vega, was born in the town that housed the first-ever Pacha nightclub - Sitges, Spain - and is a long-time resident of Ibiza's Amnesia. It follows that this merry roller for long-standing house-focused Yoshitoshi sub-label Shinichi would work great on the White Isle's Balearic crowd. It phases, loops, chunks, and funks, but never pops: a proper DJ tool for bridging through a long set. Plus, it would probably put some pep in your treadmill jog. -Kerri

Krewella: “Live For The Night” [Columbia]

Last week Krewella released "Live For The Night," the Chicago trio's first official release since breaking into radio and the Hot 100 with "Alive." Since cracking the charts, the trio has headlined some of the world's biggest music festivals and just launched a residency at Light Las Vegas. Krewella seems to have mastered the delicate balance of crossing over from dance music to mainstream pop while staying true to their sound. “Live for the Night” features Krewella's signature electro synth and suggestive vocals, designed to directly connect with the new generation of dance music fans. -Eric